The New Orleans Pelicans have a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft. Here is a scouting profile for a potential option in Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a great talent evaluator in Troy Weaver and an aggressive leader in Joe Dumars, so they should never be counted out to grab a player that they like.
They have a second-round pick from the Detroit Pistons to work with in this year's draft, but have not ruled out the possibility of going higher. Right now, though, the focus should be on the players who will be available in the second round, whom the Pelicans could consider.
One intriguing option around there is Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno, who would bring some much-needed size to the front court to complement Derik Queen and Yves Missi.
Down the stretch, when New Orleans needed size, James Borrego would opt to go to Kevon Looney and DeAndre Jordan. Both of them outplayed the team's younger centers when called upon, as well. That's not going to cut it next year. Looney probably won't be around and Jordan, if he returns, will be 38. Queen and Missi can grow stronger this offseason, but they'll need to bring in someone else.
That's where Moreno comes in. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and chose the Wildcats. Though he hasn't grown into someone expected to be taken in the first round, he is still expected to be a one-and-done player.
He played in 36 games as a freshman, starting 30 of them, and averaged 7.8. points with 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks on 58.2% from the field and 69.8% from the charity stripe. He attempted three shots from beyond the arc, but didn't make one. That's not his game.
Moreno is a 250-pound seven-footer. That would go a long way to helping the Pelicans in matchups when Missi and Queen are being pushed around. He isn't someone who plays with extreme finesse and isn't very fast, but he plays hard and has a fairly high ceiling.
The Kentucky native has been known as someone with a lot of potential as a playmaker. Adding his size and even more passing to a front court with Queen could lead to some very fun, experimental offense.
The 19-year-old could still end up going back to college if he doesn't like what he's hearing out of NBA camps. It wouldn't be an awful decision, as he's not a finished product, but he's certainly a project that is worth a second-round pick from an NBA team.